Two-part hub adjustable pitch fan



A. E. DEHNICKE TWO-PART HUB- ADJUSTABLE PITCH FAN Aug. 7, 1951 FiledJune 29. 1948 [17 Men 2771" E Arthur E Dehnz'ake by .2;

Patented Aug. 7, i951 J1 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE TWO-PART HUBADJUSTABLE rrrcn: FAN Arthur E. Dehnicke, Lyons, 111. Application June29, 1948, Serial No. 35,882

1 Claim.

The present invention relates to a fan and more particularly to a fanhaving variable pitch blades.

The fan of the present invention may be adapted for use under anycircumstances in which a fan having variable pitch blades may bedesired, such as for use with condensers, airconditioning units and likedevices. The fan of the present invention is particularly desirable foruse in the cooling of internal combustion engines, such as automotiveengines, Diesel engines, and'the like. In the operation of internalcombustion engines, the necessity of operating the engine within arather limited temperature range is generally appreciated inasmuch asexcessive temperatures may cause predetonation, knock and otheroperation difficulties, while operation at temperatures below thepreferred range may result in condensation of gaseous combustionproducts within the combustion chamber, excessive combustion chamberdeposits and other difficulties. Accordingly, the operation of any givenengine within a relatively narrow temperature range is to be greatlydesired for most economical and eflicient operation. In air cooledengines, or in liquid cooled engines inwhich the engine is cooled bymeans of liquid flowing through a conventional radiator and circulationsystem, the operating temperature of the engine is largely governed by afan mounted on the forepart of the engine and adapted to create a flowof air over the engine surfaces and/or through the radiator. The amountof air flowing past the engine and/or through the radiator may beregulated by varying the pitch of the fan blade or by varying therotational speed of the fan.

The present invention provides a fan having variable pitch blades, thefan being adaptable for use with internal combustion engines of eitheraircooled or liquid cooled type. In the fan of the present invention,the pitch of each of the blades may be simultaneously changed by a verysimple adjustment which may be easily and quickly accomplished when thefanis at rest. Positive means are provided for maintaining the pitch ofthe blades at any given pitch from zero to 360. The fan of the presentinvention may be rotated by means of a belt-drive or by means of a shaftaxially received by the fan hub.

In general, the fan of the present invention comprises a hub portion, abevelled ring gear freely rotatable within the hub portion and aplurality of blades carried by the hub portion and extending therebeyondto provide air agitating (Cl. (I-160.6)

means and carrying at that end received by the hub bevelled pinions inmesh with the bevelled ring gear carried by the hub. A removable capportion is provided for the hub and so arranged that it may be clampedagainst the hub ends of the blades to maintain the blades at any givenpitch. The pitch of the blades may be varied by merely loosening the capportion of the hub, grasping one of the fan blades and rotating the sameto change the pitch thereof. The movement of the blade is transmittedthrough the bevelled pinion carried by the blade to the ring gear freelymounted in the hub and through said ring gear to the bevelled pinionscarried by the rest of the blades, so that all of the blades are rotatedin the same direction and by the same amount. Thus the pitch of each ofthe blades may be simultaneously changed with the relative pitch of theblades remaining constant. Following the changing of the pitch of theblades, the blades are clamped in their new position by means of the capportion of the hub.

It is an important object of the present invention to provide a fanhaving a plurality of variable pitch blades wherein the pitch of each ofthe blades may be varied uniformly and in unison by changing the pitchof any one of the blades.

It is a further important object of the present invention to provide afan comprising a hub, a plurality of blades extending from the hub,intermeshing gears carried by said hub and by said blades forsimultaneously adjusting the pitch of all of said blades when the pitchof any one of said blades is changed, and means associated with the hubfor clamping the blades in adjusted position.

Other and further important objects of this invention will be apparentfrom the disclosures in the specification and the accompanying drawings.

On the drawings:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary side elevational view of an internalcombustion engine having mounted thereon a fan of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a sectional view, with parts shown in elevation, taken.along the line II-II of Fi ure 1;

Figure 3 is a sectional view, with parts shown in elevation, taken alongthe line IIIIII of Figure 2.

As shown on the drawings:

In Figure 1, reference character E refers generally to an internalcombustion engine equipped with a fan of the present invention indicatedgenerally by reference numeral It. As illustrated, the fan I is securedto the engine E by means of a stub-shaft ll journalecl in the bearing I2and clamped to the engine E by means of a suitable clamp I3. The fan 50is driven by means of a V-belt I 4 looped. about the hub 15 of the fanl0 and about the pulley H3 carried by the crankshaft H of the engine E.The fan Is! is thus driven by the engine E, the fan being so positionedthat the flow of air induced by the fan is directed over the outersurfaces of the engine E to effectively cool the same. It should beunderstood that the fan Hi may be employed with a liquid cooled engineto draw air through a; radlator and then blow the air across thesurfaces of the engine and also that the fan It may be mounted upon ashaft connected to the water pump of the engine E rather than to astubshaft such as illustrated at l I.

As illustrated in Figure 1, the hub l5 of the fan I0 comprises a bodyportion liiand a clamping cap portion 26 secured to the face .24 of thebody portion, as by means of cap screws 2 i, which may be inserted fromthe front or the back. As

illustrated in Figure 3, the hub body portion 1-9 is generallycylindrical and is axially bored asat 2 2to receive the stubshaft llsecured to the internal combustion engine E. The hub body portion [9 isalso provided with an annulargroove 23 formed in its outer peripheralface to receive the V-belt I4. Thehub l5 may be secured to the shaft Hfor rotation therewith by means of ,set

ripheral face is positioned Within the hub body portion I9, to fit intothe recess 25 and against theshoulder 21.

The clamping cap 26 is provided with a centrally located recess 29 inthat face which abuts the face 24 of the body portion It, the recess 25being concentric with and of the same radius as the recess 23 of thebody portion IS. The cap 20 is apertured at spaced points about itsperiphery to receive the cap screws 2! by means of which the cap .29 isclamped to the body p91:- tion l9 to form the completed hub structureI5.

The mating faces of the hub body portion 19 and the cap 2t are providedwith equally spaced semi-cylindrical apertures 3d and '3! respectivelywhich extend radially outwardly from the recessed portions 25 and 29. Asillustrated in Figures 3 and 4 the sets of semi-cylindrical recesses 3i)and 3| cooperate to define cylindrical apertures extending from theouter curved surface of the hub [5 into the recesses 25 and 29 toreceive the shanks 32 of a plurality of blade carrying supports 33. Theblade-carrying supports 33 are generally cylindrical in form and areslotted at their outer ends as at 3d to receive the fan blades 35. Thefan blades 35 are held in the slots 3.4 by means of rivets 36 or othersuitable fastening means which extend through the blade supports 33 andthe blades 35.

The inner end of the blade support 33 which extends into the apertures29 and 26 carries a beveled P111 01 31, either formed integrally with orsecured to the shank portion The teeth '15 cylindrical bores into saidhub recess, and a of the bevelled pinion 31 are in mesh with thebevelled ring gear teeth of gear 28 and are spaced at equal intervalsabout the ring gear 28. Although four blades 35, blade supports 34 andbevelled pinion gears 37 are shown, it should be realized that a greateror less number of blades may be employed although the blades should beuniformly spaced about the hub 19.

The ring gear 28 is rotatably seated in the re cess 25 and is heldtherein by means of the bevelled pinions 3'! bearing thereagainst. Thering 28 is thus rotatable within the hub I 5 and it is obvious that whenone of the bevelled pinion gears .3! is rotated, a correspondingrotation is caused in the ring gear 28, and that the rotation of thering gear 28 causes a corresponding rotation of each of the otherbevelled pinions 31. Thus, the rotation of any of the blades 35 willcause a corresponding rotation in each of the other blades 35, theamount of rotation and the direction thereof being equal in eachinstance.

The cap 20 serves as a means for preventing any accidental change in thepitch of the blades 35 when clamped securely against the face 24 of thehub body portion I9. Thus, when-the blades are set a tthe proper pitch,the capZO is clamped tightly against the shanks 32 of the blade supportmembers 33 to prevent further rotation of the blades, the clamping ofthe cap 20 being accomplished by means of the screws 2|. If it is laterdesired to change the pitch of the blades 35, it is m erely necessary toloosen the cap 28 a d urn any one of he blad s to cause a correpondin anequal r tati n in all of the blades 35. If des red, some or all of therecesses 30 and 3i may be cut to define slightly less than a truesemi-cylindrical contour, so that proper clamping action of the cap 20upon the blade shanks 32 may be attained.

Therefore, the present invention provides means whereby the pitch of anumber of variable pitch blades in a fan assembly may be changedsimultaneously and in equal degree by merely changing the pitch of oneof the blades and further provides means whereby the blades may beclamped within the hub assembly to prevent the changing of the pitch ofthe blades following the setting of the same.

'It will, of course, be understood that various details of constructionmaybe varied through a wide range without departing from the principlesof this invention and it is, therefore, not the purpose to limitthe-patent granted hereon otherwise than necessitated by the scope ofthe appended claim.

I claim as my invention:

A fan comprising a hub having generally cylindrical body and capportions removably recured together, each of said portions having aconcentric generally cylindrical recess formed in one end face thereof,said cylindrical recesses being brought into registry when said portionsare assembled to define an interior hub recess, said body and cap eachhaving a plurality of additional semi-cylindrical recesses formed in itsconcentrically recessed end face and extending radially outwardly fromsaid concentric recess,

said semi-cylindrical recesses also being brought into registry uponassembly of said body and cap portions to form a plurality of radiallyextending cylindrical bores, a beveled ring gear bottomed Within theconcentric recess of said body portion, a plurality of blades havingshaft portions extending through said radially extending beveled pinionon each shank portion in mesh with said ring gear, said ring gear beingmaintained in rotatable seated engagement within said body portion bythe damping of said shaft portions, said radially extending boresbetween said body and cap portions to prevent the shifting of pitch ofthe blades, whereby upon loosening said cap portion a change of pitch ofany one of said blades is transmitted through said I beveled pinions andsaid ring gear to each of 10 8EL 83 the other of said blades toaccomplish a simultaneous and equal change of pitch in each of saidblades.

ARTHUR E. DEHNICKE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 546,630 Tuerk Sept. 1'7, 18951,496,776 Fuller June 10, 1924 1,509,286 Colby Sept. 23, 1924 RingelOct. 23, 1928 2 382535 Bauer Aug. 14, 1945

